Type of Incident

Shelling into a village.

Date of Incident(s)

April 15th 2025

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

Aa--- village, Noh Poe village tract[2], Kaw T’Ree Township, Dooplaya District.

Victim(s) Information

Name

Naw[3] A---

Saw[4] B---

Age

41 years old

21 years old

Gender

Woman

Man

Ethnicity

Karen

Karen

Marital Status  

Single

Married

Occupation

Farmer

Farmer

Religion

Buddhist

Buddhist

Position

Villager

Villager

Village

Aa--- village

Aa--- village

Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors)

Name(s)

Rank

Unit

Base

Commander’s Name

Unknown

[State Administration Council (SAC)[5]’s soldier]

-

Aung Zeya Column[6]

[Temporary base on a mountain near Aa--- village.]

-

1. Explain in detail how this information was collected.

A villager from Ab--- village [Noh Poe village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township] informed a KHRG field researcher [about the incident]. Then, the field researcher contacted the Township [a Karen National Union (KNU)[7] leader from Kaw T’Ree Township]. After that, the researcher went to Aa--- village and talked to the village head. The village head explained it [information about the incident] to the researcher and showed the researcher around [the incident place]. After that, the village head arranged for the researcher to meet with the family members of [one of] the victims. However, the researcher did not get to meet with the two victims [themselves] because they had been sent to a treatment centre. The researcher took pictures and interviewed two family members of Saw B---, one of the injured victims. The researcher did not meet with any family members of Naw A--- as her house’s door was closed [she lived alone and was being hospitalised at the time. Her family also lives in another village]. [The KHRG researcher also talked informally with multiple villagers in the incident place.]

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

The wife of Saw B---, named Naw C---, and Saw D---, the father-in-law of Saw B---, gave me [the KHRG researcher] the information. The village head also told me [the researcher] about the information.

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail.

On April 15th 2025, at around 11 pm, SAC’s Aung Zeya Column fired two mortar shells into Aa--- village, Noh Poe village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, Dooplaya District, injuring two villagers from Aa--- village. The shelling also damaged two houses, their walls, and a tractor. [Local villagers and the village head reported that] the mortar shells fired were 81mm shells. The two shells injured one villager each.

• Injury of Saw B---:

When the shelling happened, villagers were sleeping. However, Saw B--- was feeling hungry, so he [went to the kitchen and] started eating. [The shell landed right on his house, and the shrapnel hit him. After the shelling, everyone, [including his] neighbours, came to see him. He sustained an injury on his right hip.

His father-in-law, named Saw D---, first sent him to the house of a nurse, Naw E---. Later, local leaders sent him to a clinic managed by the KNLA/PDF [Karen National Liberation Army[8] and People’s Defence Force[9]], which was located outside of Aa--- village. The KNLA/PDF clinic did not charge Saw B--- a treatment fee.

Naw C---, the wife of Saw B---, expressed to KHRG: “Before, my husband and I worked together on a farm [as daily wage workers]. Sometimes, he was able to bring money home. But as he is injured, he cannot bring any money home [at the moment]”. [As a result,] she had to support herself and her three-year-old son’s livelihood [by herself]. She also expressed: “I would love to live and work peacefully and would like to travel freely with my child. But now, if my child goes out to play, I call him back. And when I am working, I have to think [worry for] my son.”   

• Injury of Naw A---:

When the shelling happened, Naw A--- was inside her house. A mortar shell landed on the roof of her house, damaging the roof and walls, and her tractor and a generator that she used for farming. She was injured on her abdomen. She was sent to the same KNLA/PDF clinic by village leaders. Later, Naw A--- was referred to Ac--- health facility (which is located in Tak province, Thailand) as the KNLA/PDF clinic did not have enough equipment [to treat the injuries of Naw A---]. [She was not charged for treatment at either the KNLA/PDF clinic or at Ac--- health facility.]

Both casualties are villagers from Aa--- village. As of April 17th 2025, family members of Naw A--- did not know [about the incident] because she is single and she lived alone in her house. [Her family members live in another village.]

[Two] villagers were injured [due to the shelling], and it put villagers’ livelihoods in jeopardy. These are human rights violations. Several villagers in Aa--- village told him [the KHRG researcher] that they believe the perpetrator [of the shelling] is the SAC armed forces. In the interview with KHRG, Naw C---, the wife of Saw B---, said: “The [SAC’s] Aung Zeya Column is located on a mountain not far away from Aa--- village, and no one lives there other than the Aung Zeya Column”. [However, villagers do not know from which direction the shell came. According to the KHRG field researcher, there were other armed groups near the village as well.]

Did the victim(s) provide permission to use this information? Explain how that permission was provided.

The [interviewed] family members [of one of the victims] allowed for this information to be used for publication as part of KHRG’s work. [The village head also allowed the researcher to publish this information.]